Love ‘Em or Lynch ‘Em? : Some La Jollans Say Those Squirrels Are Just Too Much

Martin Mosier was taking a leisurely bike ride along the La Jolla shore when he noticed the invasion.

Squirrels. Countless numbers of them--burrowing holes in the soft and fragile sandstone bluffs near La Jolla Cove, nibbling snacks from the extended hands of tourists and small children.

Mosier, a Town Council trustee, is one of a growing number of local residents who believe that the cutesy, furry little critters could bring a passel of problems to the upscale community. Their burrowing, locals fear, could accelerate the already-dangerous soil erosion along the coast.

They also worry about the diseases the squirrels could spread with the close contact that comes with the constant public feedings.

“Let’s face it,” Mosier said, “the squirrels down there are more numerous than they need to be.”

At a recent meeting of the Town Council, concerned residents proposed some solutions to La Jolla’s squirrel problem: Poison the creatures, some suggested. Gas them, others offered.

The squirrel question has threatened to divide the neighborhood, as other residents have cried that killing the squirrels would be an unspeakable act.

Still other residents are amused that the fate of perhaps a few hundred California ground squirrels would even be an issue in a community trying to find solutions for problems such as increased crime and homelessness.

A newspaper poked fun at the debate, running a story with the headline: “Yo, Chip, Your Number’s Up,” a reference to Walt Disney’s Chip and Dale cartoon characters (who were actually chipmunks).

The Town Council has formed a subcommittee to contact county animal control authorities for solutions. But, at the recent council meeting over the squirrels, numerous residents claimed to have the answer to the critter controversy.

“There was a lot of shouting going on,” recalled Sandra Brokaw, a Town Council trustee. “People were saying they had to do something because the burrowing would help to erode the cliffs.

“And others were sort of amused by the whole thing. They made jokes about it, that even with all these problems, we were wasting the energy to argue among ourselves about a bunch of squirrels.”

Then there were those who felt as Brokaw does.

“Never in a million years would I want to see these creatures trapped or gassed,” she said. “But I would like to see us take some measures to clean up the area, remove the food and trash that seems to attract them.

“We should also post signs warning people not to feed the squirrels. But we can’t gas them. No, not ever,” Brokaw said.

But Mosier says killing the squirrels may be the only way to get rid of them. The only question, he says, is how.

“I haven’t found gas to be that effective,” he said. “I’ve seen it used with gophers.”

The technique, he said, is to inject cyanide into the burrows and then cover them with dirt. “That way, there’s not as much residue.”

Another deadly solution offered at the meeting was poison traps. But Mosier said he worries that the squirrels could die in nearby parks and that their carcasses could be picked over by birds, thereby passing the poison through the food chain.

Mosier said he can’t understand the debate over a problem that could threaten both people and the environment.

“What’s the difference between a squirrel and a rat?” he said. “People kill rats all the time and never think twice about it. Farmers kill groundhogs. But squirrels seem to bring out this emotion as these furry, cute little creatures.

“Rats bring about the exact opposite reaction. My point is that, cute or not, these squirrels have an unnaturally high population down at that cove, and something should be done. You got a problem, get rid of them.”

In any event, Mosier says, some residents who want to save the squirrels are making a mountain out of a molehill.

“I guess I’m just not as nice as some of these people,” he said. “I say post a sign at the local high school, put a $2 bounty on the body of those ground squirrels, give someone the incentive to make an effort to catch them.”

That kind of talk upsets Walt Hall, another Town Council trustee. If the squirrels have to be removed, they should be trapped and released somewhere else, he said.

“There are signs in that area saying that this is an ecological area and marine mammals just cannot be taken from there,” he said. “Well, squirrels are marine mammals, and you just can’t do that. It’s against the law.”

Hall said few locals are bothered by the fact that young children and tourists feed the squirrels.

“There’s no question that the squirrels are there, and that some people fear their burrowing might quicken the erosion,” he said. “But, if we’re going to have to move them, let’s do it in a humane fashion.”

Council members say the squirrels were first noticed by members of a parks and beaches committee who had walked local beaches to determine what could be done to improve them.

At the recent meeting, the Town Council did not specifically propose any solution other than directing the parks committee to investigate further and report back June 25.

“All these horrible solutions, the killing and the trapping and the gassing, were put into our mouths by people who were concerned that we might be considering such methods,” said Louise Arnold, a member of the council’s parks and beaches committee.

“Frankly, we haven’t decided what to do yet.”

Terri Williams, the city of San Diego’s deputy park and recreation director for the Coastal Division, said officials don’t believe the minor erosion caused by the squirrels will significantly alter the face of the bluffs by exacerbating damage caused by waves.

But city officials say they will listen to suggestions from the La Jolla Town Council before deciding what to do.

Mosier said, however, that the public bickering may delay a permanent solution.

“Knowing La Jolla, this thing will become a much bigger issue than it needs to be,” he said. “It might never be decided.

“The sad thing is, there are just so many more important issues to deal with for us to be wasting our time and attention on this.”